Scientists say they are a step closer to "safely and rapidly"
switching off potentially life-threatening peanut allergies, by tricking the
immune system into thinking nut proteins are not a threat.

Allergy experts at Northwestern University in Chicago have managed to create immune system tolerance to peanuts in those who are sensitive to them, by attaching peanut proteins on to white blood cells.

The team tested the approach on mice and now hope it can be replicated in humans too.

He concluded: "We think we've found a say to safely and rapidly turn off the allergic response to food allergies."

The same approach is also being used to tackle other diseases of the immune system, such as multiple sclerosis and Type 1 diabetes. The study is published in the Journal of Immunology.

About one in 70 children in Britain are thought to suffer from peanut allergy, according to recent research. Four in five will have the allergy for life. Most will not experience life-threatening reactions if they eat a peanut, but any anaphylactic reaction is extremely unpleasant.

In addition, they have to contend with the inconvenience of vetting their food for nut products